Aftermath
by spb1234
Summary: After Billy and the alphas hear the news of Harry's death a new wizard tries to take over the city. The only person that the Alphas can turn to is a Harry's brother who has decided to begin feeding again to try to bury his grief. Takes place after Changes
1. Chapter 1

Aftermath

When I heard the news about Harry I decided to take a walk. In a dark alleyway. At night.

Where's my first problem?

I couldn't let the Georgia and the others see me, Billy, the fearless leader of the Alphas, break down after even this bad of news. I had to be the one to stand strong and toughen up and get everyone through it and so on…

So here I am crying in an alleyway. All alone. At night. Yep, nothing bad could possibly happen.

Can anyone give a lesson on the word foreshadowing?

As I stand there the lesson comes in the painful way. A blast of pure kinetic energy blows up in my face and throws me ten feet in the air into a brick wall. The force deafens my and I'm too disoriented to stand up so what do I do?

Say "Ow."

Nobody ever accused me of being too sophisticated.

My attacker starts walking up the alleyway and by the time he gets to me I'm still lying in shock. He gets up to me and puts his foot on my stomach.

After he got to me he leaned in real close and almost whispered "Now that the wizards gone this city is mine."

It looked like it was night night time for Billy when I suddenly saw shadows crawling overhead. I smiled and looked directly at my attacker.

"Hey buddy, you want the city then you get everything that comes with it."

Suddenly a large black wolf-like thing pounces down onto the attacker and knocked him halfway down the alley. As he turned to look at it I, myself turned into one of said wolf-like things.

Forgot to mention. Me and my posse are what some would call werewolves.

As I felt my senses sharpen and gained strength I looked about for the black-coated attacker. I suddenly felt the slight tingle of my senses and just barely had time to dodge the next burst of energy. I turned to its source and took off at a sprint.

As I ran my vision picked up even the lightest movement of shadows. It was those shadows I stuck to to cover my approach. As the last bit of distance between my and the attacker closed I pounced into the air and let out a battle howl that was matched by the other Alphas that were attacking the black coated wizard.

Well, I thought it was a battle howl until I hit his shield at full force and saw the others shouting in warning.

The force of my pounce was enough to break bones and believe me it did when it was redirected. From what I had leaned from Harry, shields could stop, absorb, or redirect energy. These three different shield types were determined by how much power the wizard had. And from what I gathered, the wizards who redirected the power had a hell of a lot more than the others.

When my redirected force hit me I went flying back to almost the same exact position I started my run. But this time I had something to break my fall. A pile of glass.

Ow.

When I said ow before I wasn't considering this. I don't care what anybody thinks, when you go into a pile of glass like a wrecking ball it freaking _hurts_. Oh, and after that you get to think of all the fun of pulling said glass out.

I looked up and saw Georgas long werewolf form fly down the alley. Coming strait at me of course.

When she collided with me I not only broke her fall but I also got that damn glass shoved even further into my not-as-tick-as-I-had-once-thought hide.

So this one guy had not only just beaten the crap out me as a werewolf, but had sent our collective Asses to the curb in about a minute. That really sucks.

As we all turned to wait for our deaths we saw him whisper a word into the air and literally sink into the ground.

What. The. Hell.


	2. Chapter 2

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" I repeated saying this for every shard of glass that Georgia plucked out of my, very unhappy, body. I would seem that the only place that didn't get glass on it was my face because my arms took the beating for it.

She pulled her hands away from my arms, put them on her hips and said "Oh, quit being suck a baby. It serves you right for going out at night like that. What were you thinking, oh wait I can answer that for you. You weren't."

Her words stung my pride like a whip. And to think, I had already got taken out by a bad guy in like, two shots that night now I'm behind insulted for my common sense, or lack-there-of.

So, to try to scrounge up whatever pride I had left, I came up with a good idea. Well, a semi weak idea at best but you get the point.

"Georgia, before you guys came out the guy who attacked me said something about He was able to come out with Harry gone. Maybe one of the people that Harry used works with could help us figure out who this guy is."

"Who would you suggest?"

"Well, last I heard that night off the cross retired so he's out. Um… No one knows where his old girlfriend is so she can't help. The one detective…ah… I think Murphy might be able to and that's about all I can think of at the moment."

"You sure about this Will, If we go looking for this guy he might not be so generous as to let us keep our necks in our next run in. We cant go into these fights without thinking of the consequences. Think of the baby."

"If we don't take care of him quick I'm doubting it's just our family that is in danger."

I got up and my muscles groaned. Every inch of me was telling me to lie down and rest but I had work to do. As I went to pick up the phone Georgia went into our small kitchen and came back with a glass of water. Her expression seemed worried and her hands were chilled.

After a-few rings I heard Murphy pick up the phone. Her voice sounded care worn and tired. "Sergeant Murphy with Chicago Police department what do you need?"

"Hello, Miss Murphy. This is Will Borden and I was wondering if you could help me and the Alphas out?" After that I gave her a summery of the fight with the guy in the black coat.

"I wish I could Will but I'm too busy on some bad cases. Without Harry's help special investigations is having a hell of a time solving some of these cases."

Special investigations is the group in CPD that gets to handle all the creepy crawlies and supernatural bad guys that just happen to wander into Chicago. They are some of the only plain vanilla mortals that really can understand what most chose to ignore. When some vampire goes out of control and starts a chain of murders or a wizard starts throwing black magic about it's their job to put a stop to it and explain it to "normal" people in "normal" terms. Normal meaning find some way to cover it up and sound somewhat sane.

"Is there anybody that you know that could help me and the other Alphas out with this then?"

"There may be one person that I could get to help you. It may be a shot in the dark but do you remember Thomas Raith?"

"That white court vamp?"

"Yeah that's him. Harry worked with him a-lot and he knows plenty about the supernatural. He may be your best shot at catching your Black coat."

"Alright where do I find him?"

"That's the trick. After Harry's death he dropped off the radar. I haven't seen him since the funeral."

"Could you possibly get me a list of where he might be?"

"Yeah, got a pen?"

I went over to a little writing table and picked up a pen and a notebook. "Alright I'm ready."

After She gave me the list I hung up and studied it. I decided to start my search at the ship that Harry had been killed on called the _Water Beatle._

Me and Georgia got to the _Water Beatle _and called up for Thomas. When we received no answer we got up into the boat.

The _Water Beatle _was not a big ship but it was still no little sailboat. We walked on its brown wood deck and looked around. Nothing looked off but something felt strange, like that feeling that an empty room is occupied or someone is watching you when no one is there. Yeah, that's the feeling I got when I walked onto the ship.

As I looked around Georgia went to the door that led to below deck and slowly opened it. She had to duck her head a-little as she walked in because she was too tall. As she went in I heard the ship groan and my instincts flared up.

"Georgia get out of there!" I shouted but it was too late.

Just as she turned around to ask me why the groan ceased and a cold sick feeling came over me. Something burst from below deck and threw Georgia across the deck, her long willowy body flying through the air and into the lip of the ship where the side met the deck.

As I watched this in horror I felt the cold, sick feeling slide over me like grease. I turned and ripped my sweatshirt and sweatpants off of me and transformed into my wolf self.

I pounced towards the doorway and bared my teeth. I could smell two major things. A smoky flower-like smell that was probably incense and the unmistakable sickly sweet smell of fresh blood.

I heard the ship moan again and heard words of gibberish coming through the doorway. I flew down the stairs to see one of the most horrible things in my life. A new man that I had never seen before stood in a circle of dark red and chanted. Next to the circle laid the body of a young girl who couldn't have been more than sixteen.

I growled and pounced toward the man. He looked up to see me slap him with my claws and barely was able to cover his face, getting his arm gashed open with my talons. He yelled more gibberish and hit me like a freight train out of the side of the boat. I smashed through the wood and barely was able to catch myself before I fell out. I dragged my head up and stuck my snout through the hole. The new attacker muttered something and rose into the air. As he did I pounced up and snapped at his throat but what I hit was merely a wisp of smoke. I watched in disbelief as he simply drifted away.

Have I ever said how tired I am getting of these damned wizards?

I had taken a pretty bad gash in the leg so had to limp up the stairs. I found Georgia just getting up and getting ready to turn into her wolf form. I changed back and put a hand up to tell her not to worry about it.

After I gathered up my clothes and checked with Georgia about her injuries we started to get off the ship.

Just as we were leaving to get Georgia to the hospital to make sure the baby would be alright after that fall a man with jet black shoulder length hair that looked way too good jogged up with an angry expression. "Empty Night! What did you guys do to my boat?"

I turned to Georgia the replied "Nice to see you too Thomas."


	3. Chapter 3

"So your saying not only one but two wizards are taking over Chicago and at least one of them is using Black Magic?" Thomas asked.

"That's what it looks like, yeah." I replied.

"So what the hell do you expect me to do about it? I'm done with that kind of stuff. I'm done trying to be the 'good guy'. I'm just another White Court Vampire and nothing I ever do will change that." As he spoke I was barely able to catch the hurt look that spread over his face.

The Vampires were split up, or used to be split up, into three courts. The black and red court vampires were the old movie afraid of sunlight, blood-drinking monsters that most think of when they hear vampire. The black court vampires were almost extinct because everyone knew how to defeat them. The Red court were extinct, thanks to Harry because he sacrificed his half-red court girlfriend and used a bloodline curse on the red court, that happened just a day or two before Harry was killed.

The White court vampires fed not on blood but emotions. Fear, Lust, Pain, any strong emotion. They mostly feed during sex. This is the reason for all members of the white court's beauty, so they can lure in prey. The white court may be the most deadly of the courts because you cannot tell the difference between white court and normal humans till it's usually too late.

"Your one of the people that Harry always used to work with. If he trusted you it must have been for good reason."

"Yeah, well, I'm done with that. All I ever do when I try to help people is turn around directly afterwards and start feeding again. In the end I'm still just a damn hypocritical monster."

"But…"

"You don't get it do you kid? I wont help you, get lost and keep out of trouble. Maybe that way you wont get killed."

"Why the hell wont you just help? People are already getting hurt and killed over this and I'm sure that those black robed wizards aren't planning on bringing flowers bunnies and rainbows with the power they are gathering."

A pained expression crossed Thomas's face and he said in a quiet voice " I tried acting human once, it never accomplishes anything."

"What about all the people that you helped when you worked with Harry? You think they weren't worth it?"

"Me and those like me harm just as many, in the end it's all useless." With that he turned to leave.

"So that's it? You're just leaving us to fight these guys on our own?"

Thomas stopped for a second and said. "If you really want my help then I'll give you some advice. Leave it be. These guys are obviously a hell of a lot stronger than you are. Don't get yourself killed over other people; they don't care about you anyway. Out in the real world its every man for himself, Harry didn't figure that lesson out and look where it got him."

"You bastard. You have no right to talk about Harry Dresden!"

Thomas turned and grabbed my arm, hard. "No, I have every right. Seeing him die, seeing the only one who gave me hope that I hade a chance to fight my damned curse lie dead because of his attempts to help people showed me how worthless it was. You have no idea what I lost."

He nearly threw my arm away as he let go the he turned and ran away. He ran through the night in obvious contrast to the bland surroundings around him.

But before Thomas turned away I notice a tear start crawling down his face.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry it took me so long. I've been REALLY busy and barely had time to breathe, let alone write then, as if I didn't have enough crap, I got writers block to the EXTREME.

So (as some of you suggested) I am going to officially call this AU and might even build off of it being AU since it is already.

Thanks for putting up with my timing and hope you keep reading.

* * *

><p>I got Georgia home and had her lay in bed and rest. That was almost as hard as the fight with that black magic guy.<p>

After she actually got in the bed she dropped like a rock and I was left alone. I sat on the sofa in the dark and thought about how the Hell I was gonna get out of this in one piece.

As I sat there contemplating I heard the phone ring. I went to answer it and heard the sound of ragged breathing and crying.

"Will, it's Marci," He heard her let out a small sob "Will, they got me. They took me to this place and they say their gonna kill me Will. They want you to come and, oh God!"

"Marci!" I cried "Marci what happening, you still there?"

Suddenly a calm male voice came on the phone "Mr. Borden I do not give idle threats. I wish to have a civilized discussion with you tonight and you will be there. You will see a card in your mail with the address on it and you will go to that address, alone. If you do not arrive before midnight tomorrow, well, I might become a-little less civilized to your friend."

"You son of a bitch" I heard myself say through my anger "You touch one hair on her God dammed head and I'll kill you."

I heard him chuckle lightly and then he said, "Your threats are insubstantial and may not be recommended if you wish to save this woman. Remember, midnight." Then he hung up

_Dammit, dammit, dammit _I thought _how did he get Marci?_

I stalked out of my house and peered around as I went to get the mail. I picked up a-few bills, a letter from some charity that Georgia supports, and a small letter with perfectly shaped calligraphy. I took a look around again to see if I was being watched and turned sharply inside. I rummaged through a drawer and picked up a letter opener, which I promptly tore into the small envelope.

Out fell the letter and as I picked it up I moved towards my computer. I typed in the address and was given directions in return. I saw them lead to some warehouse out by the harbor and thought about going there. In my rage I almost went out right then but reality and common sense caught up shortly after.

I figured that if I go then I will only be doing more harm than good, but if I don't go I might miss my only chance to save her before the meeting. After a short time of debating with myself I decided that I might try to find Harry's old apprentice Molly. Nobody really knows what happened to her, some say that when Harry died the council executed her and others say that she went crazy; I personally think she just went off the radar to get away from the paranormal shit for a while. God knows if I would if I could too.

After thinking long and hard about how to find her, I finally remembered something from way back when the Alphas and I helped Harry with a problem in Faerie. So, I grabbed my jacket, went out to my car, and started it up.

I was going to get some pizza.


	5. Chapter 5

I stood in front of what I hoped was a good containment circle from what Harry had taught me. The pizza, with a bit of my blood on the crust, sat on a plastic plate in the center. I learned from Harry that my ability to change into a wolf had come from a minor magical talent so, I think, I've got enough juice to power a circle.

Names, capitol N, have power. Especially in beings from the Nevernever, such as the one I was about to call on. Harry never went around giving the Names of these creatures "…For your own protection…" and other B.S. But…one time when he was calling one a while back I might have…should I say, accidentally overheard, and might have learned one.

And no, by the way, I'm not gonna be an idiot and shout it to the world.

I whispered the name three times under my breath and waited by a dumpster where the pizza was barely in sight. After a few minutes a foot or so tall ball of light streaked down and hovered in the air.

Toot-Toot was not much over a foot tall, with a small strap holding a letter opener and a bottle cap for a helmet. He looked around suspiciously and, as I had hoped, decided to go to the pizza. His stomach may not be very big but it growled loud enough for me to hear. I guess Harry was his main source of food and, now that he's gone, they haven't had much. He looked at the pizza and without a second glance, zoomed down to devour it.

I felt energy leave my body and, for a second, was afraid it wouldn't work. Then, with a surge of fatigue, the circle popped. Toot-Toot felt it instantly and looked around.

"H…Harry… is that you?" Toot asked with a timid voice.

Now, I may not of know the little guy for a long time, but, I knew he wasn't the timid sort of person…creature…thing. I walked up slowly to Toot with my arms slightly raised as a peaceful gesture.

He saw me and flew up in fury. "Who are you that dare contain me, leader of Za-Lords guard?"

"I am no enemy. I was a friend of Harries and I have come to ask for the little folks help."

He took my words like a physical blow, falling down to the ground in a sad, defeated gesture, "I took note that you said 'was'. I have a feeling that means the rumors are true. Harry is really dead isn't he?"

I had forgot. The little guy didn't have anyone to tell him about Harry's death, he had to eavesdrop on conversations to get information.

"Yeah, he's…he's dead. He got shot by a damned coward from the back of a scope." I said with a fair amount of anger.

Toot seemed to sink further down and let out a small sob. I gave him a-few minutes and then said, "Toot, I know this might not be the best time but I really need your help. I am willing to pay any little folk who help the same that Harry would give in pizza. I just really need some help."

He stood up shakily but eventually got his composure and stood tall. He sucked in a breath and made a mini salute. "Za lords guard at your service, sir."

I smiled at the little guy and said, "Harry used to have an apprentice, Molly. She was under his teaching but after he died she went off the radar."

"Molly is that girl that always went over to Harry's house, right. We have been keeping watch over all of Harry's close friends to see if we can get some. I couldn't see you very well in the light but now I know you are Will Borden, leader of the dissolved group of werewolves called the Alphas."

"Yes that's Molly. Oh, and we aren't completely dissolved yet."

"Yeah, sure, O.k. Back to the point. Yes we know where Molly is, just allow me to exit this circle and I will consult with the others." He flew up as if ready to leave.

"Not so fast. I'm fairly certain there is some rule with fairy promises to make sure they keep them…what was it… oh yeah! Promise three times upon your word."

"Ah. So I see Harry didn't leave you completely incompetent to our ways. Stupid wizards," he said under his breath then impatiently said, "I promise, I promise, I promise."

Thrice said and done. He would be forced to uphold this promise. I leaned over and scraped the circle out with my shoe. He instantly bolted up and out of sight.

Now all I could do was wait.

I looked around impatiently for thirty minutes until a bolt of light came flying back towards me. I figured he'd stop when he got to me but he flew right passed me shouting something. The only word I could make out was "…behind!…"

I turned around as he passed and looked across the parking lot. Two men stood out there, looking at me. They were completely cloaked in black; one was carrying Molly across his shoulder while the other held a smoldering piece of wood. The wood was a staff, much like Harry's but with different burning sigils imprinted on it.

The one carrying the staff took two steps foreword and shouted out "We warned you not to interfere and now you are to pay." He brought up his staff and sent fire lacing through the air.

God. Damned. Wizards.


	6. Chapter 6

I flew to the side just as a lance of fire pierced through the air. The dumpster behind me had its side melted into molten slag from the hit but I got out of the blast relatively unscathed. I tore out of my pants and shirt and transformed in a second or two but that was just enough for the guy to shoot out a column of wind straight at me.

I tried to dash to the side again but got hit on my left shoulder with the torrent. I flew back in a ball of claw and fur onto the ground but caught my balance at the last second to land on my feet.

My sharpened senses showed me the surrounding in almost two different pictures. With my eyes they showed me the darkened shadows and details but with my nose a different picture was painted altogether. I could clearly make out the source of the burning smell coming from the dumpster. I could smell my own blood and I could also figure out the scent of the wizards in front of me for tracking.

The second wizard dropped the, what I hoped to be unconscious and not deceased, Molly on the ground and pulled out two small drumsticks with similar sigils and they abruptly came alight. He threw them out at me and I took off towards the right. They suddenly _moved_ through the air to fix on me. These freaking wizards were such cheaters.

I dashed foreword to get close to my targets and anticipated a fierce bur from the sticks. After a second I looked back and saw Toot floating through the air with a-few other little folk batting at the flaming drumsticks with box-knives. I let out a howl of battle and focused my attention on the baddies ahead of me.

I made a feign pounce and abruptly slid down as both wizards shot up to where they thought I was going. As I slid I brought my front limbs foreword and pulled with the thick muscles of a wolf. The power that coursed through these muscles launched me foreword to bet into both their legs and trip them. I landed behind them and checked Molly for a second.

The girl had grown much from when I had first met her. She had dark-blue dyed hair and a black outfit on with camo combat boots and an honest to God cape. It would look a-little silly on most but I sensed a slight dark presence around her that made the getup look fitting. Along with the outfit she had a neatly tied gag and her hands and feet tied along with it.

I snapped the ties with my sharp claws as quickly as I could but I couldn't dally too long because the wizards were recovering. As I snapped the tie at her mouth I felt a strange release of magical energies, then I realized they must have been infuse with a sleeping enchantment. The sudden opening of her eyes proved my theory and I saw deep fury reflected in them.

I backed off with a posture of peace and angled my head towards the wizards. She nodded slightly and rolled away to gain a crouching posture. As she did this my attackers stood and looked at us with fury and, an almost perfectly hidden, look of fear.

I bolted foreword as the attackers focused their attention on Molly. I pounced into the air and caught the one who had originally been carrying her by his shoulder. My claws raked over his coat and briefly caught his skin. They tore through the soft layer and reached thick muscle before I was blasted away by a burst of kinetic energy.

I flew out through the air but caught sudden sight of Molly disappearing. Her veils were getting better, so much so that I almost couldn't sniff her out. If I couldn't find her I was almost sure these chumps couldn't.

I landed with a thud and looked out. Sure enough, the first bad guy was rubbernecking around for Molly while the other one was inspecting his wound on the ground. The group of three cuts was deeper than I had thought and spread thick blood over his arm. He gave me a fierce look and got up quickly.

He started towards me with another set of drumsticks and set them alight as he walked. He brought them up to throw at me and the sigils across them burned white hot. The sticks hadn't yet left his hands when something caught him across the stomach and made him bend over with surprise.

I took the opportunity and dashed past him to his partner who was just turning to see what was happening. As I braced for another pounce he got to the punch quicker. He sent out a lance of flame the size of a fist that caught me straight in the shoulder. I let out a howl of pain and surprise and barely kept my balance enough to pull to the side.

I landed on my side and huffed out a heavy breath. I heard something behind me and felt a release of energies. While turning painfully I was able to turn my head just in time to catch a glimpse of the wounded attacker flee through a portal with his partner to what I could only assume to be the Nevernever.

The last thing I saw was Molly fade into view as everything faded into peaceful black.


	7. Chapter 7

I woke to find…well nothing.

No Molly, no Toot, no nothing. By the textures of the walls I can tell I'm in some sort of the parking lot but not much else. I took a deep breath of the dank, misty air and examined my surroundings. As my eyes adjusted to the dark I cold see the faint outlines of a few spread out cars and the remaining slag of the dumpster but besides that nothing.

I raised myself up on one elbow despite my aching bodies reservations and felt something slide off my chest. It was a small scrap of paper with some faint markings scribbled over it. I got up on my feet and walked out of the parking lot into the cool Chicago night.

I walked out passed the few blocky buildings around me until I reached one of the corner streetlights around the town. The fuzzy yellow light coming from within was enough for me to make out the few words on the paper.

Meet me in the coffee shop down the street

"Not the slightest bit weird" I muttered as I walked toward the only coffee shop near the parking lot.

I walked, well more accurately limped, into the brightened shop. As soon as the smell of coffee hit my nose my gut felt as if it were being smacked with a bowling ball. I looked over toward the counter in a mission to get some of that sweet nectar but a hand grabbed my sweatshirt unfortunately stopped me short. I turned as if ready to kill but cooled off as I saw Molly, in some better shape than before, holding a coffee cup out towards me.

I snatched up the cup and took a quick sip. My tongue singed with pain that was well worth it. I turned back to Molly and she motioned me to sit down.

"Not that I don't like the coffee but why the hell didn't you just talk to me out in the parking lot?" I asked while savoring my treat.

"Other than that you were out cold and if anybody found me standing over your unconscious body in a half destroyed parking lot would be out of their minds to not call the cops, who would then waste my precious time for questioning?" She replied sarcastically.

"Good point." I muttered from the other side of the table. "So why did dumb and dumber back there have you all tied up? How for the matter? I'm not an expert but screwing with a wizard is just a-bit bad for chumps like those."

"Basterds got me from behind. Got those damned ropes around me so fast I didn't get a single spell out. Next thing I knew I was being thrown around like a rag doll and you were chopping on the sleeping ropes."

"Ah. So you got no idea what these freaks are planning? They've got Marci too and busted up Harry's boat. Looked like they were doing some sort of spell with blood markings and symbols and all."

"Marci is the little wolf girl in your posse right?"

"Yeah."

"I got no clue about your friend but if I got a good look at those symbols I could probably figure something out at what they were going for. Before we do go tell me all that's gone on."

I then went over all the crap that's gone down from when I first got jumped until my meeting with Toot. Molly listened carefully and asked a-few questions about certain details I hadn't thought mattered before. I tried to help best I could but my head had been beat down so much that things were still a-little fuzzy.

By the end Molly got up and picked up her jacket. She walked outside the building with me and we walked back to the parking lot. Oddly enough we found Toot there with the rest of the little people he brought.

He turned as we walked up and made a small salute. I repeated the motion and said, "Thanks for the help Toot. Me and Molly were wondering if you could help just a bit further?"

"How can we assist you in this matter?" He asked.

I was about to answer when the cell phone that I had thought at home rung out in my pocket. I dug it out and flipped it open.

A rugged voice that I recognized as Thomas's spoke out in anger, "Get to the _Water Beatle _as fast as you can. They took her God dammit. They took Justine."


	8. Chapter 8

I hung up the phone and stood in stunned silence for a while. It took me a bit to get back to what was happening when I heard toot saying, "Hey! What was it that you wanted Billy?"

I blinked rapidly as what I just heard wrapped in. I turned back to Toot and said, "Go to the wreckage of the _Water Beatle_ and make sure none of those warlock creeps are waiting for us."

Toot was off almost before my last word was out and the last I saw before I turned to Molly was a little yellow light off in the distance.

Now it was Molly's turn to look confused, "Why don't you just get Toot to look at the markings rather than have us hike all the way up there?"

"You know who was on the phone just now? It was Thomas. Apparently these guys just snatched Justine too. Thomas said to meet him at the _Water Beatle _and I think it's to tell us that he is helping us in the search."

"…Oh…pretty good reason." She replied with the same reaction I had.

We got to my car as quickly as we could and sped out of the parking lot. The lot was quite a ways away from the waterfront and would have taken a normal person about fifteen minutes.

I got there in five.

Me and Molly both got out of the car to find Toot fly up in our faces and say, "All clear sir!" With his own tiny salute and everything.

"Thanks Toot, I appreciate it."

Toot let down his salute and flew off. I walked up ahead with Molly watching our backs to see if I could find Thomas. It didn't take long till I found him pacing angrily along the edge of a police tape surrounding the wreck of the _Water Beatle_.

He turned to look at me and walked up with determination and grabbed the front of my shirt. He lifted me into the air almost effortlessly and shouted, "Where the Hell is she!"

"Thomas! What in God's name are you doing?" I choked out.

"Don't play stupid you basterd. You knew I wouldn't help you voluntarily so you took Justine and made it look like they did. You set the whole thing up because you're too much of a Goddamned pansy to fight for yourself!"

"Thomas," Molly said calmly, "He couldn't have taken Justine. He has spent the time since he met with you working to find me."

"How do you know?" Thomas shouted while tightening his grip to where I could hardly breathe. "This son of a bitch was practically begging me to help. He's desperate and desperate people do desperate things."

"I know because Harry trusted him." Molly walked even closer. "And if Harry trusted this guy then that should be good enough for both of us."

This left Thomas thinking for a second. Molly came up to him slowly and put her hand on her arm in an unthreatening posture.

"As you said, desperate people do desperate things. Don't let the loss of Justine make you become one of those people. Trust me. Trust Harry."

At this Thomas looked physically pained. He dropped me to the ground in a fit of coughing and turned around with a look of disgust. After a minute he became calm and turned back to us.

"So. What's the plan?"


End file.
